A Shadow's Presence
by DarkFallenRose
Summary: "I will give you a name, little one. A name that will define you and your soul. I will call you Melany. For you have been touched by the shadows. And although you may always be forsaken in favor for your sister, the shadows will never abandon you. Never forget that, little Katherine Melany Swan." A different twilight story, starring Isabella's younger twin sister.
1. Forgotten

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own the Twilight Saga, whether it be book or film. Stephenie Meyer is the brilliant creator and mastermind. I only own my OC Katherine and plot.**

**AN:** Thank you for choosing to read my story! This is the first story I have ever uploaded to a public site! I know this story has a few... okay a lot of cliches and some overused plot points (Bella's younger twin sister). I also realize that I may have been subconsciously influenced by other stories I have read over the years, so there may be similarities, but I have an entirely new plot outlined and I plan to follow this through to Breaking Dawn! I want to stick to the original story as much as I can until I'll take over and do things my way. Plus there is an underrated romantic interest later on!

WARNING: _Contains dark themes, depression, and overall emotion turmoil of being forgotten. Plus my mouth has no filter._

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_**A Shadow's Presence**_**  
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**Chapter 1****: Forgotten**

My sister came into this world crying. She screamed and flailed her little arms about, nearly hitting a nurse in the face. She didn't stop her fuss until she was placed in our father's arms. His warm chocolate eyes were wide, and his smile wider as he peered down at his firstborn daughter. Our mother on the bed tiredly smiled and reached for the small bundle in his arms, but before she could hold her precious daughter, a contraction ripped through her body. And two minutes later, another baby girl was brought into the world.

But unlike my sister, I did not cry. I did not flail about. I merely opened my eyes and blinked at the blurry world around me. And I was not placed in my father's arms. I was not placed in my mother's arms. No. They were both cooing over my sister, as she giggled and wriggled around in their grasp. I was given to an old RN, who after checking that I was healthy aside from my silence, cleaned and swaddled me.

When the doctor finally asked for names, the new parents, smiling down at their baby, both said, "Isabella. Isabella Marie Swan."

After writing the first name down on the birth certificate, the doctor asked for a second name. But both parents were surprised. Why did they need another name? Not even 5 minutes from my birth, and I was already forgotten. A circumstance I would grow all too familiar with.

"Katherine. After my grandmother." My father finally said.

And as my parents went back to coddling my sister, the old RN finished filling out my birth certificate. Because apparently, the doctor had forgotten about me already too. But as she wrote in my name, she paused. No one had given me a middle name. Looking down into my eyes, then glancing over towards my parents, she decided, whispering to me.

"I will give you a name, little one. A name that will define you and your soul. I will call you Melany. For you have been touched by the shadows. And although you may always be forsaken in favor for your sister, the shadows will never abandon you. Never forget that, little Katherine Melany Swan."

* * *

_Shadows can really be a girl's best friend_

_Diamonds can't hide you. Can't fight or defend._

_Shadows can prove to be your saving grace_

_When staying alive means concealing your face_

_Brains beat out brawn. That's common sense._

_Let them compete with their common violence._

_Slinking unseen garners minimal damage_

_So slip by unnoticed as long as you'll manage_

"_When the time comes, you dart to the dark. Two steps ahead, too clever by half_."

I woke up to the haunting melody of my alarm, singing the bridge. It's a good way to start the day, especially today.

Today, my big sister Bella and I are catching a flight out of Phoenix, Arizona to Port Angeles, Washington to go live with our dad in Forks. Apparently, Forks is one of the rainiest places in the United States, which is good for me, but Bella's going to hate it. I can already see her bringing a pet cactus with her to Forks. And she'll either drop it immediately or constantly prick her finger on the thing. Seriously, we should just keep all hazardous materials away from that girl. She's danger prone.

"Ah!" *bang* *bang* *bang* *thud* "I'm alright!"

Speaking of my sister, that's her now falling down the stairs.

I rush out of my room and slide to a stop at the top of the stairs, "You okay down there Bells?"

"Ya, I'm okay. Thanks, Kat! Although, I probably shouldn't have taken all my bags down in one trip."

"Probably." I deadpan. I do that a lot.

But now that Bella's safe, for the moment, I go back into my room to get ready for the day. Most of my things have already shipped up north, but I still have a few things in the closet. First things first, my black skinny jeans. They are a staple for any outfit. I lay those out on my bed and dive back into the abyss that is my closet. I'm able to fish out a black and white striped long sleeve shirt with a v-neck. And I grab a black tank top that stops just under my collar bone, to cover up my girls. Ah, yes. My girls. My twin sister Bella and I have many differences. One of them is whereas she has a normal sized chest, I am cursed with DD. Hence I have to get shirts that are far too big to compensate for them and need to cover them up with tank tops unless I want to be literally hanging out of them. I go back into the black hole in search of a pair of shoes and settle for my old black combat boots. They come up to my mid-calf, and I replaced the laces on them with black ribbon a long time ago. Lastly, I grab some black socks and a matching black lace bra and panty set, and my outfit is complete.

After taking a quick shower, I got dressed and then sat down at my vanity to freshen up. I only have a simple skincare routine. Just moisturizer that has SPF 70 in it, because with my skin I definitely need sunblock. That's at least something I have in common with my sister. We both are very pale. Although, my skin tone is slightly paler than hers, like a porcelain white.

And even though we are twins, we look nothing alike. We have similar skin tones and are roughly the same height (Although, I am actually taller than her by ½ inch, at 5'4 ½"), but aside from that, we are completely different. I have straight black hair that goes down just past my shoulder blades, and neat softly arched eyebrows. My eyes are round and slightly large for my face, with long thick eyelashes. And my irises are a clear, light gray, almost silver color. I have a small button nose and full lips that have a defined cupid's bow with a natural rosy tint. Bella takes more after our father, with her wavy dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. I don't know who I get my looks from; I think I'm just an anomaly.

For makeup, I used a small touch of concealer under my eyes, some black eyeliner in my water lines, and created a soft black smokey eye. I added some black mascara and finished it off with a matte, dark rouge lipstick. I brush out my hair and pull it into two low ponytails at the base of my neck, and throw a black beanie on top to finish off my look.

Grabbing my batwing backpack, I head downstairs. I find Bella already eating toast in the kitchen. She is sitting at the table slowly nibbling on her food, as she peers out the window, looking at the vast desert outside. I shake my head and clean up after her. I put the butter that she left out away in the fridge, and wash the knife that she used before I put that away too. Then I grab an apple and hop up onto the kitchen counter. As I take a bite into the crisp apple, I startle her and cause her to drop her toast, and of course, it lands butter side down.

"Ah! Katherine don't do that!"

"Do what?" I say as I take another bite of my apple.

"Sneak up on me. You always do that" Bella pouts.

"Sorry." Bite.

"You're not sorry." Pout

"Nope." Bite

"You're impossible." she says shaking her head, smiling.

"Yup." I say with a devious smirk, as I take another bite of my apple.

We both looked at each other and burst out laughing. As Bella calms her giggles, our mother, Renee, walks into the room.

"Bella are you finished packing? Do you need help bringing your bags down? Phil can run up and grab them. I don't want you falling and hurting yourself. Do you have everything you need?" She finally takes a breath and notices Bella's breakfast on the ground. "What happened to the toast?" she asks with a tilt of her head.

With a nervous laugh, Bella responds, "Yes, I'm all packed. I already brought my bags down. And yes I have everything I need."

"She dropped the toast."

"Ah! Katherine!" my mother screams and jumps, turning around swatting at my arm. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry." Bite.

* * *

Now is probably a good time to address my latent invisibility, although it's difficult to explain. Sometimes I just fade into the background and no one can see me. I can be standing directly in front of a person, but unless I actively try to involve myself, it's almost like I'm not even there. Other times, I just get forgotten completely. I gave up making friends a long time ago because of this. You can only reintroduce yourself so many times until there's no point anymore. The worst though is when my family forgets. It's not all the time, but it hurts the most. Like how could they forget my birthday? Bella and I share the same day, but there was only one name on the cake. Or how many times there has been a Christmas, where my stocking hung empty on the mantle. My mother is scatterbrained at best, so I can't fault her. I haven't seen my dad in years, but he tries. And Phil. I don't think he even remembers Renee has two daughters most of the time. Bella is the best though. I think she suspects something is off, but she has never brought it up.

This ability of mine used to bother me. I used to hate it. I blamed it for everything that went wrong in my life. My curse. I blamed it for all the pain. For every time my heart was shattered. For every time I cried. For every time I was forgotten. I hated it and I hated my life. But then it saved me.

When I was 8, Bella and I used to take ballet lessons at the local studio. Bella was terrible at it and I was okay. I much preferred gymnastics over any type of dance. One day, I stayed late to help Miss Mimi clean and tidy the room, and by the time I went outside, my mother wasn't there. I couldn't find Bella either. They had already left and I was forgotten again. I didn't want to bother Miss Mimi and I only lived 15 minutes away, so I decided to walk home. Except I didn't realize that there is a big difference between walking and riding in a car. I now had a 9-mile hike home.

It didn't take long for the sun to set and the temperature to drop. I pulled my denim jacket closer around my tiny body and continued forward. I had already gone too far to turn back, so I walked. And walked. And walked, until the moon was high and you could see shooting stars across the desert sky. But I was getting closer to home.

I was only a few blocks away when the car appeared. I noticed the headlights first, as they crept along. The light casting my shadow tall and thin in front of me. And then I heard the door. Someone had gotten out. I was scared. I was frozen. As the footsteps grew closer and closer, I just wanted to go home. I just wanted to disappear.

And they stopped.

In my terrified state, I slowly turned around. There was a man. Twice as tall as me and twice as wide, reeking of dirty sweat and alcohol. I saw the stains on his shirt. The dirt on his jeans. His left boot was untied. And he was right. There. If I reached out my arm, I could have touched him. When I looked up to his face, I could see his cloudy green eyes staring down. But they were unfocused. Like he was looking through me, not at me. Then he huffed and stomped off back to his truck, slamming the door and driving away into the night.

And I ran home.

Now I wear my shadows like a second skin. It's always there to help me. And I can fade in and out of the background and disappear when I want, most of the time. It's good when I want to skip or get out of class. Plus I can scare my sister with it. The forgetfulness sucks though. But I've found that as long as I am consistently around someone, they are less likely to completely forget about me. The occasional slip of memory stills happens though.

* * *

"She did the same thing to me Mom." Bella says with a small smile.

I just huff and do the mature thing by sticking my tongue out at her. And of course, she responds in kind.

"Ok girls, knock it off. We have a plane to catch in a few hours, and do not have time for a raspberry war." Mom scolds us laughing with her hands on her hips.

"Oh come on Ma, you know you want to join." I say jumping off the counter.

"Noo, I'm being the mature, responsible adult in the room." she says trying to hold back a smile.

I look at Bella. Bella looks at me. We look at our Mom, and we all start laughing.

Fighting through her laughs, now tears, Renee says, "I'm gonna miss you, girls."

Both Bella and I go and give her a hug.

"I'm going to miss you, Mom." Bella quietly says into her hair.

"Ya Mom. I'm going to miss you too." And I hold her a little bit tighter.

"What's going on in here? A group hug!?" Phil makes his entrance by sweeping in and grabbing us all in a big hug. As we break away, Bella and I give each other awkward looks and Renee kisses Phil on the cheek.

"So the car's all packed except for Bella's bags which are…?"

"At the bottom of the stairs."

"Thanks, Katie!" Phil says, stealing my apple and rushing out of the room laughing.

And now I am annoyed. Not because he stole my apple, oh no. I'm annoyed because he called me Katie. My name is Katherine. Not Katie. Not Kathy. Not Kate. Katherine. The only ones who can call me otherwise are Bella and Dad, and they call me Kat.

"Welp. I'm going to go say goodbye to Woody and Mojo."

"Ok, but be careful. Keep your phone on and remember we are leaving at 11."

"I'm always careful." I say with a smirk walking backward out of the room. "It's Bella you should worry about. She's the one who trips over flat surfaces"

"I do not!" Bella denies taking a step to follow me, but somehow the floor shifts out from under her. She shrieks and falls, taking our Mom out with her. I just shake my head and leave, their laughter following me as I walk out the back door.

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[2,609 words]

**AN: **Thank you again for choosing to read my story! I really appreciate reviews, and just really want to know what everyone thinks. Do you love it? Do you hate it? Do you want to burn it with fire and erase it from your mind? Let me know! :)


	2. Embers Faded to Ash

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own the Twilight Saga, whether it be book or film. Stephenie Meyer is the brilliant creator and mastermind. I only own my OC Katherine and plot.**

**AN: **Thank you everyone for reading my story! :) And a special thanks to all those who have favorited and followed the story, as well as to eeeeaud, Mistress Peverell, leward1992, and lazygirl189 for leaving a review on chapter 1! You guys helped me be motivated to keep writing and gave me strength when I had succumbed to writer's block. So thank you so very much! :)

**AN Mach 2: **I am sooo sorry for the late update! I started college this fall and found myself drowning in course work. I really didn't want to write a 6-page paper and then write MORE in my spare time. I also had a lot of personal tragedies these past few months, and I found it very difficult to stay positive and motivated. But I'm on winter break and I'm starting anew for the New Year! Plus I really want to finally GET TO FORKS!

WARNING: _Contains dark themes, depression, and overall emotion turmoil of being forgotten. Plus my mouth has no filter._

WARNING: _If you are afraid of snakes or scorpions - I'm sorry! This chapter has both of them..._

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_**A Shadow's Presence**_  
**Chapter 2: Embers Faded to Ash**

The desert is a beautiful place. It's vast, arid landscape stretches on for miles and you can become truly isolated from the rest of the world. You can feel the heat of the sun bearing down on your back and scorching everything around. You can feel the dry air, scratching in your lungs. You can hear the subtle chirps of birds, the buzz of insect wings, and the soft whisper of the wind. You can see Sanguaro cacti scattered across the land and numerous rock outcrops lay littered along the horizon. If you look closely, you may be able to see small critters dart from patches of shade, only to disappear into the scenery. Or even the lies of a mirage, as it dances just out of reach.

After 45 minutes of trekking across the harsh desert ground, I finally see my destination rise into existence in front of me. A large ring of rock and stone towers into the sky, casting its shadow over a forty-foot Sanguaro that marks the entrance inside its walls. Carefully stepping over and around a cluster of cacti at its base, I shimmy my way in between the rocks and enter my sanctuary.

Surrounded on all sides by sheer rock faces, with a fresh spring in the center, my oasis is completely separated from the desert outside its high walls. Arizona Rosewood bushes grow along the edges, with small purple Black Daleas and white Little Leaf Cordias sprouting in between. On the north end, to the left of the entrance, a Cascalote Tree blooms with its yellow flowers, and in its shade an Anacho Orchid Tree blossoms with its small white buds. On the south side, a massive Canyon Hackberry Tree sits, with its canopy branching out over the top of the rock. Beneath its leaves, an Arizona Yellow Bell bush blooms with its yellow, bell-shaped flowers and a fragrant Chihuahuan Sage grows with its branching lavender blossoms. At the base of the mighty tree, a cluster of Peyotes sprout around a large rock, housing a deadly friend. The portal into the sanctuary is guarded by a mass of wild Oleander bushes, with Desert Lavender sprouting among its roots. And by the water's edge, some Water Hemlock grows with its shoots of small white flowers. Above the spring, the rock wall on the eastern side dips low, allowing the rising sun to be viewed as it ascends into the sky. And at one point in time, the rock face between the Cascalote and the entrance collapsed, leaving behind a debris field of fallen rocks and boulders that now is the home to a very rowdy neighbor.

And it seems like Mojo is having a party.

A steady clatter echoes against the stone walls and gets progressively louder the closer I get to a particular rock. As I slowly lift the rock out of the way, the noise abruptly stops and a blur of brown latches onto my arm. Cold scales wrap against my skin and a curious tongue grazes my face.

"Haha, well hello to you too Mojo." I smile down to the silly serpent.

Mojo is a massive Mojave Rattlesnake. From pointed head to banded tail, he stretches over 5 feet long and he is a gorgeous earthy brown with light tan markings. I scratch just behind his head, helping him remove some stubborn old skin, and watch him shut his eyes in bliss as he curled himself tighter around my warm body.

* * *

I met Mojo 5 years ago when I first discovered this place, but back then it was a lot different. When I got home after a rather difficult day at school, I ended up wandering out into the desert. Usually, I wouldn't stray too far. I would always make sure I could still see the house, but that day I never looked back. I just kept walking, blinded by my tears.

Eventually, I stumbled upon a large outcrop that jutted out of the ground. Overgrown bramble bushes tore at my legs, but squeezing my way in between a slit in the stone walls, I made my way inside. In its center, a dry riverbed lay cracked under the desert's harsh sun. Bones lay littered across the ground and along the southern wall, there was a small pyramid made up entirely of skulls. Some were small, most likely the remains of a bird or rabbit, but all were dwarfed by a large bull skull. It's long horns arching towards the sky, and if you look closely you could see movement inside its shadowed sockets. Towards the back of the clearing, ash blackened the eastern wall from a crude fire pit sitting at its base.

As I approach the pit, I can see something coiled among the charred remains of a fire. Mixed in with broken bones and what appears to be a burnt bag of herbs, a smokey snake rests in the old embers. I can just barely make out the pattern on its back through the grey ash coating its scales, but its distinctive rattle makes it clear what species of snake it is.

Startled, I tripped and fell backward into the dirt and dust.

I just sighed, sprawled out on the ground looking up towards the sky. And… just great. The sun is setting. Wonderful.

"Seriously… Could the day get any worse?" Cue ominous howls in the distance. "Darn it…" I sighed as I glared at the setting sun.

I laid there for a while watching the moon replace the sun in the sky. As night descended over the desert, and the temperature began to drop, I slowly drifted off to sleep. Only to be awakened later under the stars, by something moving up my leg.

Trying not to freak out, I glanced down towards my feet and nope! Snake is slithering up my leg. Snake is slithering up my leg! SNAKE IS SLITHERING UP MY LEG!

I glared up at the moon petrified with fear. I can feel the weight of the snake slowly ascend up my body until it's cold scales scratched against the skin on my stomach. And nope. Nope. Nope. nope. Nope! NOPE!

In the most stupid move of my life, I scream and jump up off the ground. In the process, the snake falls out from underneath my shirt. And thanks to my lucky stars in the night sky above, I do not find myself on the receiving end of a fatal bite.

Shaking off the sand and terror, I look over to the crumpled form of my trespasser. The snake's body is clumped at an odd angle and the feeling of concern begins to weigh heavy on my chest.

"Hey? Are you okay, little guy?"

I slowly creep over to the snake's unmoving body. As I get within feet of the reptile, I can make out its slow and deep breathing shadowed in the moonlight. The scales along its back are raw and burnt, with the old scales beginning to flake off. And its eyes are glazed over with a milky film. It is obvious to see that the snake is in pain and is in pretty bad shape.

I kneeled down next to the snake and gently moved a finger down its back, but it didn't even flinch. As I touched its cracked scales, I noticed that it was very hard and dry. Which was weird because I always thought snakes were cold and, well not slimy, but more like squishy and soft.

"Maybe you're thirsty?"

But where would I find water? I'm in the middle of the desert and my idiot self didn't bring anything with me. In the darkness, I searched the clearing looking for anything that could have water, until my eyes settled on the old river bed.

Maybe? I remember watching a nature documentary that said if you wanted to find water in the desert, then you needed to find a low valley and dig a hole until the ground becomes damp with water.

I got up and made my way over to the edge of the riverbed. As I sat down, the ground beneath me puffed up with dust. "Well, that doesn't bode well…" Regardless though, I took my hands and began to dig into the dry soil. The first few handfuls disintegrated between my fingers. But as I dug deeper into the ground became harder and harder. By the time I had dug down 6 inches, my fingernails were aching and caked with dirt, but I kept digging.

Another 6 inches and two broken nails later, I finally felt something. As I raked my fingers into the earth, I felt a cool sensation begin to seep into the hole. It was filling with water!

After resting my sore fingers in the soothing water, I gathered some up in the palm of my hand and carried it over to the ailing snake. Placing my hand to the side of its head, I tried to brush some of the water against its lips. At first, there was no reaction. The snake just stared out at nothing and laid completely still. After a few more splashes, I finally saw movement! The skin under its chin rippled!

I ran back over to the hole and grabbed another handful of water. As I placed my hand by its head, the snake slowly shifted to have a drink. With each gulp of water, the snake grew stronger and moved until its entire head was situated in the palm of my hand. When the water was gone, it glanced up at me as if it was trying to tell me it wanted more. After each new handful of water, more and more life started to come back to the snake.

Eventually, the snake had its fill and decided to coil itself around my arm. Unlike before when its advancements were absolutely terrifying and completely unwanted, now it felt alright. We had come to an agreement of sorts; I helped him, so now he won't bite me or kill me. It seemed like a reasonable trade.

Once the sun came up the following day, I said goodbye to my new friend and made my journey back home. I expected to walk into a search party or to be yelled at for running off when I got home. Instead, I was met with the smell of my mom's cooking and burning pancakes.

My relationship with Mojo just got stronger after our initial meeting. Every day after school, I would make my way back to the hidden oasis and I began the long process of cleaning up the area. I made Mojo his own rock crevice home and would occasionally steal some meat from the fridge to feed to him. Over time, the water came back to the oasis and it became my sanctuary that it is today.

* * *

"Hello, Little Shade."

"What the hell!?" Startled, I turned around to face where the noise came from and Mojo, jostled from the harsh movement, started to hiss and rattle his tail.

Standing across the clearing is an older woman. She has wrinkled dark, copper skin, with wise mahogany eyes, and peppered black hair that is pulled back from her face in a series of braids. Interwoven between the braids are feathers and turquoise beads. Draped across her shoulders is a purple striped shawl and a large beaded, turquoise pendant hangs around her neck. In her hands, she is petting a honey brown Bark Scorpion.

"What the hell are you doing with Woody?"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean the scorpion." She smiles down toward the 5-inch scorpion stroking its back. "I am merely petting him. He is such a gentle soul."

"Ya, I see that... And a gentle soul? How the- Who the hell are you!?" I finally say, shaking off my surprise. I recollect myself and move around until I'm standing directly across from the mysterious woman with the spring in between us. Mojo repositions himself across my shoulders, settling his head by my right ear in a strike posture.

"I am called Hastséoltoi."

"Well, it's nice to meet you. My name is Kathr-"

"Cătălina." interrupted the elderly Navajo woman.

"Excuse me, what?"

"Your name. It is Cătălina."

"Um, sorry, but no it's not."

"It will be though." the woman responded with a knowing smirk.

"It will be?" Ok, this is getting really weird. Why did I even engage with this woman? I'm alone in the middle of the desert and suddenly this woman appears out of nowhere! And not to mention the diva that is Woody is allowing that woman to touch him!? He always has such an attitude, but he's acting like a puppy in her hands' craving attention! Although, she kind of reminds me of Gamma Jude…

"I came here to give you a warning, Little Shade." The woman said as she put Woody down and settled into the lotus position on the edge of the spring.

"A warning?" I said, as I slowly circled around the edge of the water. "What's the warning?"

"Please. Have a seat." She said with a closed eye smile, as she gestured to the ground beside her.

I might as well hear what she has to say, so I make my way around the spring until I sat with the woman on my right. I left a few feet between us and my position on her left would allow Mojo to have easier access to her if she tries anything.

"Ok. So what's this warning?" I say to the woman as I cross my arms across my chest.

"You will never return to this place the same."

"What!?" I yelled as I leapt to my feet, glaring down at the woman.

"Relax, Little Shade. I mean you no harm." She said as she placed her hand on my arm, but I yanked it away from her grasp. She sighed and continued, "You are leaving Phoenix soon, correct? I meant only that you would never return to this desert the same as you leave it today."

"And that means what exactly?"

"Beware the burning snow, Cătălina."

Suddenly, the woman reached out her hand again and grabbed a hold of my arm. Except for this time, I could not break away from her grasp. I tried to use my other hand to pry her fingers off my arm, but her grip was like steel and would not budge.

And then I heard a gargle and deep, heavy breathing. When I glanced back down towards the woman, I noticed that her eyes were no longer brown, but a vacant white and she was starting to convulse. When she spoke, her voice was soft and scratchy, like she was choking on every word:

Shadowed pain. A forgotten sun.

Embers faded to ash.

To Live. To Die.

Embers faded to ash.

A frozen flame. A frozen heart.

Embers faded to ash.

The beginning of the end.

Embers faded to ash.

The end of the beginning.

Embers faded to ash.

Beware the burning snow.

As the elderly woman's cryptic message subsided, her eyes reverted back to their original shade and her shaking stopped.

"What the hell was that!?"

"A warning and a prophecy." She responded as she finally let go of my arm.

"A prophecy?" I asked raising a sculpted eyebrow.

"Yes. It is your destiny, Little Shade."

I scoffed, "I don't believe in destiny."

"Not many do. But it is your destiny. And destiny does not care about whether you believe in it or not." The woman said as she took my hand in hers, and this time I did not try to remove it.

"What does it mean…?" I asked sighing.

"I do not know, Little Shade." She admitted as she started to trace the lines of my palm. "But I do know that it is a warning." Closing my hand into a fist, she gave it one final pat.

"Beware the burning snow, Cătălina."

With those parting words, the woman rose from her seat on the ground and made her way to the entrance of the sanctuary. As her shawl drifted out of sight, I finally snapped out of my stupor and ran to catch up with the woman. I dodged the cacti guarding the portal to the oasis and chased after the departing woman, but when I exited the rock walls...

She was not there.

The desert landscape stretched on for miles, but nowhere was there a silhouette of the older woman. She had just simply vanished.

"What the hell just happened Mojo?" I asked my loyal friend draped over my shoulder. He responded by twisting his head to the side and flicking his tongue across my cheek. "Ya… I have no idea either."

**BEEP BEEP BEBEEP BEEP BEEP BEBEEP**

Shutting off my Kim Possible alarm tone, I looked at the time. 10 AM.

"Well, I got to get going… I guess this is goodbye, for now, Mojo." I said with a sad smile as a kissed the top of his head.

And if a snake could ever look sad, then Mojo looked heartbroken.

* * *

**[2854 words]**

**AN:** Thank you so much for choosing to read my story! I can not describe how happy it makes me when I see there has been another viewer. Thank you!

I also realized that I forgot to credit the song from the first chapter. The alarm song was "Too Clever By Half" by Rachel Macwhirter, or Rachel Rose Mitchell on Youtube.

And next chapter we are FINALLY GETTING TO FORKS!

Reviews...? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Do you want to burn it with fire and erase it from your mind? Let me know! :)


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